Emmanuel Adebayor lined up by Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho

08 September 2010 10:50

Jose Mourinho has gone public on his desire to sign a new striker - with Emmanuel Adebayor at the top of Real Madrid's shopping list.

The Bernabeu boss wants a powerful centre forward and, with Cristiano Ronaldo injured, he has just two senior players who can play up front: Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema.

'With another forward, if Benzema or Higuain get injured, I could look at the bench and see solutions,' the frustrated boss told Madrid newspaper AS.

Wanted man: Mourinho would love to have Adebayor (left) at Real Madrid

'I can't play both of them together because if one gets injured in the fifth minute, I don't have a replacement.'

Madrid signed six players in the summer but balked at adding another striker as the transfer window came to a close. Mourinho now wants the situation rectified.

Adebayor fits the bill because of his physical style and the Togo international is down the pecking order at Manchester City.

Mourinho adores his old Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, but a deal is virtually impossible.

Alternatives to Adebayor include Anderlecht's 17-year-old Romelu Lukaku - a target for Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan - and PSV Eindhoven's Ola Toivonen, who was wanted by Tottenham and Liverpool in the summer.

Germany striker Mario Gomez is another strong contender who has admirers among the Bernabeu hierarchy and his future at Bayern Munich is unclear.

Jose admits he's Real disappointed at missing out on Drogba and AdebayorSign up to our FREE Fantasy Football game - with £40,000 in prize money up for grabsCity slicker Johnson aims to nail down regular England starting placeManchester City squad for 2010-11Chelsea could be scuppered in Lukaku swoop as Inter Milan chase sensationMANCHESTER CITY FC